Streamlining the Digital Landscape: Seagen's Transformation with Alpha Solutions

The Problem

Seagen, a leader in the biosciences sector, wanted to build a digital infrastructure that reflected the complexity and sophistication of its research and operations. Instead, they were tolerating a web environment riddled with disparate tools, inconsistent standards, and an outdated CMS. 

Like many large organizations, Seagen had multiple sites that were built, managed, and hosted by partner agencies. Their corporate IT team had little to no control over these sites. 

This had become a governance and security nightmare. Additionally, the CMS they were using limited Seagen from supporting their multi-vendor (creative agencies) model. The tech stack was old, and getting support on the CMS was becoming increasingly difficult.

The goal was to have a unified and secure platform compatible with multiple creative agencies.

The Challenge

Our task was to integrate Seagen's diverse web elements into a singular, cohesive framework, ensuring strict governance, robust cybersecurity, and operational agility.

Specifically, problems included: 

• Too many different ways of doing things

  • Each business unit operated separately 

  • Zero visibility internally

  • Multiple tools, systems, code standards, etc.

• No clear business requirements 

• Lack of solution specifications/ tech documentation, etc.

Mission accepted!

The Solution

All of our projects begin with the client’s end goal at the forefront of our minds while we map out our strategic blueprint. Collaborating closely with Seagen’s internal IT team, we identified key integration points and worked together to lay the foundation for an effective solution. 

From the onset of this engagement, we became a key part of Seagen’s team, working hand-in-hand and empowering them to make independent modifications and updates as required.

Drawing on our diverse expertise in digital solutions, we decided to employ the power of Sitecore CMS (a renowned player in content management and e-commerce platforms) for this project. We chose NextJS for application development. 

By separating the front end from the CMS, we are able to roll out changes to one site without impacting others.

We used Percy.io for testing and validation. This tool helped us compare sites side by side and address issues along the way. This helped us ensure that the sites were migrated properly.

It took just under a year to set up the infrastructure and migrate the country sites and the corporate site. 

This solution was tailored to deliver an outstanding user experience while providing Seagen with powerful backend capabilities. 

In summary, the tools we used included:

• Sitecore (CMS)

• Next JS (application development)

• Azure DevOps, Azure WebApp, Azure Front Door, and many other Azure tools

• Percy.io for visual testing 

Our implementation was methodical and thorough, with checkpoints at every stage, leading to a seamless transition to the new system.

The Result

Seagen now boasts improved governance, streamlined processes, and a harmonized digital platform, setting a benchmark for others in the bioscience space.

Key achievements:

• Enhanced operational efficiency

• A unified digital platform ensuring brand consistency

• A seamless, intuitive web experience for users

• Streamlined internal operations

• The 3-person IT team can now support all of their brands and other internal teams

• Site outages have been minimized

• Content publishing issues have been resolved

• Multiple sites can be deployed on the same day without impacting each other

• Site ownership has moved to seagen.com, giving them full control

Conclusion

Leveraging Alpha Solutions' digital expertise and Seagen's quest for excellence has resulted in a digital platform that stands out in the bioscience sector.

Ready for your digital transformation journey? Contact us, and let's map your future together.